U.S. Stocks Retreat After S&P 500 Rallies for Six Weeks – Bloomberg 02-11-13

Salient to Investors: The S&P 500 is at 15 times reported earnings versus a low of 13 in 2012 and the 6-decade average of 16.4. T. Doug Dale at Security Ballew Wealth Mgmt said we’re extremely overbought, but the market can continue higher. James McDonald at Northern Trust said a pause is understandable given the strong

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China Eclipses U.S. as Biggest Trading Nation – Bloomberg 02-10-13

Salient to Investors: China surpassed the US to become the world’s biggest trading nation in 2012. Jim O’Neill at Goldman Sachs said China is becoming rapidly the most important bilateral trade partner for many countries – Germany may export twice as much to China by the end of the decade as it does

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JPMorgan Joins Rental Rush For Wealthy Clients: Mortgages – Bloomberg 02-04-13

Salient to Investors: JPMorgan Chase Private Bank put individuals and families with more than $5 million into a partnership that bought over 5,000 single family homes to rent in Florida, Arizona, Nevada and California. David Lyon at JPMorgan said investors can expect returns of up to 8 percent annually from rental income as well

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Goldman Sachs Hired by Russia as Corporate Broker to Boost Image – Bloomberg 02-04-13

Salient to Investors: Goldman Sachs has been hired by the Russian government to burnish the nation’s image overseas and attract more institutional investors. Sergei  Arsenyev at Goldman Sachs said valuations in Russia remain very attractive. Goldman Sachs has struggled to build a business in Russia. Lloyd Blankfein at Goldman Sachs said the world’s premier financial centers

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Chavez’s 681% Returns Mean Socialism Buoys Goldman: Andes Credit – Bloomberg 01-30-13

Salient to Investors: Venezuela bondholders have returned 14.7 percent annually, double the emerging-market average, enriching investors from OppenheimerFunds to Goldman Sachs. Sara Zervos at OppenheimerFunds said Chavez has done little good for Venezuela, but has serviced the bonds, and the Venezuelan securities are more attractive than Brazilian bonds, which offers little upside. Zervos said

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Copper Seen Extending Rally With China Accelerating: Commodities – Bloomberg 01-25-13

Salient to Investors: Copper traders are bullish for a third consecutive week on the fastest expansion in Chinese manufacturing in two years. ETF Securities said $28 million went into its ETFS Physical Copper ETP last week, the most since its introduction in 2010. Barclays said China consumes 42 percent of the world’s copper,

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Emerging Stocks Decline to Three-Week Low as Samsung, Kia Tumble – Bloomberg 01-25-13

Salient to Investors: Laurentia Amica Darmawan at PT First State Investments Indonesia said the currency issue is the biggest risk factor in the foreseeable future for Asian companies, and will continue until we have clarity on how long global monetary easing will last. Credit Suisse lowered Turkish banks to neutral from

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Goldman Sachs’s Cohn Says He’s Fairly Bullish on Global Equities – Bloomberg 01-24-13

Salient to Investors: Gary Cohn at Goldman Sachs said: He is bullish on global stock markets as investors shift money from bonds to equities as interest rates rise. The cause of rising interest rates, greater economic activity and growth, will be very positive for our business. Shares in top companies offer

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